1 Front Volume 140 No. 30
Friday, September 20, 2013
The Tonica News
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More felonies for Felton Next court date is Nov. 15 By Ken Schroeder kschroeder@tonicanews.com
OTTAWA — Richard Felton has had two more charges added onto his list for his upcoming trial date. Felton was previously indicted on charges of attempted murder and
aggravated battery stemming from the Aug. 18 shooting of a Grand Ridge man. In a hearing before Circuit Judge H. Chris Ryan on Sept. 16, LaSalle County State’s Attorney Brian Towne added the charges of home invasion and residential burglary.
Felton, 28, of Tonica — and also listed as a Chicago resident – appeared in court in restraints and an orange striped corrections suit. He stood quietly next to Chicago defense attorney Myron Goldstein, while Towne listed the new charges against him. Felton responded respectfully to Ryan’s questioning.
Felton remains held on $3 million bond after being accused of shooting 28-year-old Jeremy Wade of Grand Ridge on a bridge over the Vermilion River near Leonore. The bullet struck Wade in the face, knocking him off the bridge where he fell 40 feet into the mostly dry river. “It’s an incredible mir-
acle that he (Wade) is alive,” Towne said. Felton’s charges of attempted murder and aggravated battery are Class X felonies with probable sentences enhanced due to the use of a firearm. Under Illinois law, home invasion is also a Class X felony, while residential burglary
is a Class 1 felony. If convicted of all four charges, Felton will be eligible for up to life in prison with no possibility of parole. Felton’s next appearance in court will be on Nov. 15 for a motion hearing. A pre-trial hearing is set for Nov. 22 with the jury trial scheduled to begin on Dec. 2.
Clearing the pipes Obstructions plague Tonica water/sewer lines By Ken Schroeder kschroeder@tonicanews.com
TONICA — Water and sewer lines in Tonica have a lot of obstructions and collapses needing to be fixed soon. That was the news water and sewer supervisor Marc Lemrise delivered to the Tonica Village Board during its meeting on Sept. 16. A mobile camera was brought in to check lines along Minnehaha Street, and several partial collapses were found along the line where the camera could not get through. There are also some sections where tree roots have grown into the pipes and a section with a fiber optic cable from Tonica Telephone crossing through. The board had known there were problems along the street and had already solicited bids for the work. Those bids are due shortly, and the board will hold a special meeting on Oct. 7 to consider the bid and begin work as soon as possible. Priority is being given to Minnehaha from the backstop to Shawandasse Street, where the worst of the obstructions are located. More work is planned west to Route 51. Other obstructions and issues were found in spots around the village, noticeably a build-up of grease in the line near the grade school.
See Tonica Page 3
Tonica News photo/Dixie Schroeder
A semi truck loads at Ruff Brothers Elevator in Lostant.
Harvest is just beginning By Dixie Schroeder dschroeder@tonicanews.com
TONICA — Harvest is in its early stages in the Illinois Valley. However at Ruff Brothers Grain in Leonore/Lostant, farmers are starting to keep an eye on when to move their grain. According to location manager Jon Janz, most farmers start to harvest their corn when the individual kernels are at 30 percent moisture. Some farmers wait until the kernels are at 25 to 27 percent, but ideally, farmers will want the kernels to be at 14 to 15 percent moisture. Not many farmers are in the field yet. Janz noted there might be a few in Putnam County who have started their
harvest in the Hennepin area. “The only place that you might find somebody in the field right now is if you go around Hennepin around the ethanol plant, around the old steel plant in that sand down there,” said Janz. “I know that they had been harvesting down and around there in the last week. In this area here, (Leonore/Lostant/Tonica) you won’t find anybody doing it yet.” Janz noted the grain is just too wet to bring it in. Further south in more southern Illinois locations like Gridley or even LowPoint Washburn, farmers have been able to start harvest. Janz reports that as of Sept. 17, the Ruff Brothers
Grain company had received only 19,000 bushels of corn to store. He noted that last year, the company was licensed to store around 25 million bushels of grain but has since expanded. All grain companies will be busy in a few weeks. Some that want to keep up with the farmers will have to expand to be able to continue to stay in business. “What you need to do is be aware that the farmers are getting bigger,” he said. “And you (as the grain company) will need to get bigger and bigger with them. Your facility has to dump a lot of grain and handle a lot of grain in a hurry. If it doesn’t, the farmer will go
elsewhere.” A lot of the modern day farmers are spread out and farm in several locations. “Farmers may farm in several areas. They may bring some to Leonore. They may bring some to Lostant. Sometimes they may take some to Acona or wherever they are close enough to their fields,” he said. Like most businesses, most grain companies have had to adapt to the changing times. “Things are changing, and farming has changed a lot. As a grain company you have to change with them. You got to offer the farmers everything they want. All the different options for selling the grain and everything,” he said.
Vol. 140 No. 30 One Section - 8 Pages
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